1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a cutting assembly for meat or other appropriate food products passing along a path of travel and comprises a modular cutting unit capable of being added to or removed from a processing line. The modular cutting assembly includes a blade assembly and a mate assembly which interact to consistently cut the meat in the intended manner. Input and output assemblies are respectively disposed adjacent the entrance and exit areas of the path of travel and serve to accurately direct the meat there along while facilitating removal of meat portions from between the plurality of blades of the blade assembly during and after the cutting procedure.
2. Description of the Related Art
For many years, the food industry has relied on manual cutting for the cutting and other processing of meat products, wherein a larger piece of meat was reduced to smaller pieces of various sizes and configurations dependent, at least in part, on the intended use of such reduced meat portions. However, it is well recognized that such manual cutting and other processing is time consuming, labor intensive and lacks consistency in the size, shape, etc. of the final product.
Such inconsistencies are particularly common to smaller pieces or chunks of meat products when cut from a larger meat portion, wherein the smaller, typically cube-like pieces are used for different applications. Despite the recognized skill and experience of butchers and like processing personnel, there is still an overall lack of consistency in terms of size, weight, and other characteristics of the smaller meat portions. In addition to the disadvantages and problems, as generally set forth above, butchers and other personnel utilizing manual cutting techniques necessarily handle the food product extensively. These procedures frequently result in sanitation problems and at least some dangers to the processing personnel.
In order to overcome problems of the type set forth above, attempts have been made to create automated meat cutting and/or processing systems which are structured to perform cutting as well as a variety of other processing features. While some of these automatic machines and/or systems are considered to be at least minimally operative for their intended purpose, consistency problems still exist in terms of the size, weight, shape, cut characteristics, etc. Included in the aforementioned problems associated with known automated machines is the difficulty of cutting through heavy gristle and/or like muscle membrane. This difficulty frequently results in the processed pieces or portions still remaining attached by virtue of the failure to cut completely through existing gristle, etc. While many of the disadvantages associated with manual processing have been alleviated by conventional automated processing equipment, problems still remain. Such problems relate to the efficiency and reliability of the conventional automated, equipment and the ability to achieve the desired consistency in the final product.
Therefore, there is a long recognized need in the food processing industry and more specifically in the area of meat cutting and processing for an efficient and effective automated cutting assembly. Such an improved cutting assembly should be capable of accurately cutting meat into the desired shapes and sizes on a consistent basis, while eliminating the above noted disadvantages associated with manual processing. Further, an improved and proposed cutting assembly should be structured so as to reliably and efficiently cut through heavy gristle, muscle membrane, etc., thereby eliminating or significantly reducing the problems and/or disadvantages commonly associated with known or conventional automatic cutting assemblies. Further, an improved and proposed meat cutting assembly should be capable of timely processing large quantities of meat and other appropriate food products such as by passing the product along a defined path of travel. Moreover, the structuring of such an improved cutting assembly as a modular cutting unit would increase its versatility by allowing it to be an operative component of a more extensive processing line, where other processing steps may be performed on the product.
In addition, a preferred and proposed meat cutting assembly could be automated while being constructed into the aforementioned modular unit, thereby facilitating its placement or removal into and out of an operative position along a more extensive processing line comprised of other operative components. The meat cutting assembly as proposed and improved should also include various self-contained operative features including a blade assembly and mate assembly cooperatively disposed along the path of travel relative to input and output assemblies. Accordingly, the meat being cut is directed to and from the interactive blade and mate assemblies in a manner that assures that portions of the meat are prevented from collecting between the blades of the blade assembly before or concurrently to passing along the path of travel and beyond the out-feed assembly.
Finally, such a proposed and improved meat cutting assembly should include an overall design and structure which enables a continued functioning of the cutting assembly even under relatively harsh operating conditions.